The electric water-activated tape dispenser you didn’t know you needed, and still kind of don’t

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It’s holiday season, which means you’ve been buying, packing, and shipping presents to everyone you know and love — or just mildly tolerate, at least. Trying to fit everything into an appropriately-sized box is always annoying, but using that papery packing tape or clear shipping tape with the end you can never locate makes the process all the more tedious…

If you had an electric water-activated tape dispenser, you likely would’ve made a somewhat superfluous purchase, but the annoyance of packing the presents would be dissipated. The irritation wouldn’t only lessen because of the automation, but mainly because you finally got to use your electric water-activated tape dispenser you purchased when showing poor judgment that one time.

As Core77 points out, such tape dispensers are used by the packing pros — of which you are not. The Better Pack 555eS not only sports trip-fives, but dispenses a length of water-activated tape your package requires for a full seal.

What makes water-activated tape special is that it’s gummed, which means instead of just sticking to the box like glue, it forms a chemical bond with the cardboard packaging. You can also print on gummed tape, which will allow you get festive with your holiday packaging, and the tape is sturdier so there is less of a chance of it ripping and the contents of your package spilling out during shipment.

Aside from being a neat toy you’ll want to frequently use but won’t really have a good reason to, the 555eS comes with a few safety features. The blade that cuts the tape will be disabled to avoid accidents when the machine’s cover is open, and a thermal cutoff will prevent the motor from overheating if you happen to be taping up packages at an alarming rate from within a boiler room. You can check out some various electric water-activated tape dispensers here. If you purchase one — the Better Pack 555eS will run you about $1000 — maybe it’ll be packaged with another electric water-activated tape dispenser, fulfilling your one true holiday wish of experiencing electric water-activated tape dispenser on electric water-activated tape dispenser action.